


Where the Tales Begin

by RiskoZoSlovenska



Series: Ilennian Adventuring Tales [1]
Category: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Blood and Injury (duh), Exploration, Fluff and Angst (I guess?), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Tears, My First Fanfic, Ori will exist eventually I promise, Sibling Love, Siblings, Triplets, no regular updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiskoZoSlovenska/pseuds/RiskoZoSlovenska
Summary: Every great adventure starts somewhere. In the case of these spirit triplets, it's on a small, miserable island in the middle of the ocean.The question is, is there a better place out there?
Series: Ilennian Adventuring Tales [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777384
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Island

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Amazing Spirit Tree Chat Room!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23695693) by [MewMewPsychic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MewMewPsychic/pseuds/MewMewPsychic). 



> ~~After recovering from my WotW depression,~~ I realized that I thirsted for more adventures like Ori had. After reading some fanfics, I got an intense itch to write my own despite the fact I’ve never written before, and well, here it is – my very first piece. With that out of the way, please excuse my horrible writing, and uh… I’ll greatly appreciate any feedback.
> 
> Also, big thanks to MewMewPhysic for their help.
> 
> YEET here we go

The golden evening sun shone feebly through the sparse overcast onto the gray land below, trying to lend the creatures roaming there at least a few more moments of light. A cold and firm draft blew across the small island if Ilenn, hinting at a fierce storm that was slowly approaching. The dark waters that lapped the jagged, rocky beaches felt it too – while relatively quiet at the time, they surged with unseen energy, eagerly waiting to join the skies in their coming rampage.

It was on this bleak evening that a particular branch of the large tree sitting in the middle of the island broke off and was carried by the wind, spiralling and looping energetically through the air. Eventually, it came to rest on a small clearing, refusing to be snatched back up by the sharp fingers of the merciless winds above. 

An older spirit named Lin was briskly walking home, shielding her face from the bitter winds when a faint flash of light in the corner of her eye aroused her attention. She knew that the storm was really starting to pick up and that she should have been inside by now, but some instinct or other demanded her to investigate the source of such a peculiar flash.

Climbing over a bush of brambles and hopping across a slow stream, she stepped onto a grassy clearing. There, sprawled out on the damp grass, lay a trio of baby spirits. They were all sleeping, their dim glow softly illuminating the surrounding ground and meekly reflecting off of the nearby water droplets, casting a starry curtain over the whole scene.

Lin sighed. They were already starved enough back in the village even without having three additional mouths to feed. But she wasn’t the kind of person who would abandon a newborn, leaving it exposed to the horrors of the forest at night. And so, with another sigh, she gingerly scooped up the still-sleeping spirits into her arms and resumed her walk home.

* * *

Oksir yawned as he woke. Sitting up, he blinked and rubbed his eyes, his vision focusing and the dream he just had already forgotten. His thoughts still a bit hazy, he looked around the small room with squinted eyes. Aksa and Eksen, his sister and brother, still slept peacefully, their chests rising and falling slowly. Dense sunlight streamed in through a tiny window, banishing the darkness from the burrow and inviting him outside. Motes of dust swirled above the floor, highlighted by the bright light. The spirit stretched and yawned again, his back sore from the thin covering of dried grass he slept on.

Comfortable bedding was hard to find; most of the grass on Ilenn was brittle and sharp, and the thick moss wasn’t much better. He had found out it was carnivorous the hard way, waking up in the middle of the night screaming and drenched in blood. It wasn’t a pleasant memory.

Oksir’s stomach grumbled. He glanced at the corner where they stored foodstuff, only to be greeted by a sad sight. Two empty bags and a pile of dry fruits, some starting to rot around the edges. _Great,_ he thought, _looks like breakfast is going to have to wait._

His stomach growled again. Letting out a long sigh, he cast his gaze over the cramped hole he called home once more. His eyes landed on a worn stick, propped up above the burrow’s shabby door frame, and he lost himself in contemplation.

His birth, he had been told, was quite unusual. Not only were spirit triplets rare, but he and his siblings had hung on the Spirit Tree for almost two full years. Everybody accepted this as the explanation as to why the three spoke their first words mere days after their birth and were already stumbling around on two legs proficiently a couple of weeks later.

They had always been told that they were initially raised by an old spirit called Lin, who died a few months after she took them in. Nobody showed much interest in them afterwards, as no-one felt like feeding another three hungry youths. And so, Oksir, Aksa and Eksen were raised by nobody, living off of scraps given to them and sleeping under the roots of the island’s Spirit Tree. They would enthusiastically watch the older spirits go about their day, trying to imitate what they could, or frolic with other spirits their age, of which there weren’t many. When it got too cold, which was quite often, one household or another would let them sleep inside, provided that they obtained their own food.

The old stick that he was now staring at was the very branch that he, Eksen and Aksa were born from. Eksen said that it radiated with Light much more intensely than any other stick, and when Oksir really concentrated, he could feel Father’s reassuring warmth, very faint by now, flowing through it. Looking closely, he could distinctly see the spots where their Leaves connected to the wood and smiled to himself as he remembered all the times they had argued and fought over who’s Leaf had been the closest to the tip.

In the ten years or so that they had been alive, he and the others had quickly learned that life was tough and unforgiving. Aside from persistent hunger and cold, there were at least a thousand other things that wanted them dead. The center of the island, the large meadow where the great Spirit Tree resided, was relatively safe. However, anything ten Dashes or further past the treeline was hostile territory, crawling with abominations such as giant slugs, poisonous leeches or corrosive pools that dissolved anything unfortunate enough to slip in.

If one was to survive the forest and keep on going, they would eventually come to the black rocky beaches and the cold waters of the Ocean. The Spirit Tree’s light had the least influence here, and it was visible. There was no vegetation, save for some rough, gray algae. Deadly creatures roamed the coasts - they moved like shadows and struck silently, dragging the bodies of their still-conscious victims into the watery depths. What lay beyond the waters, no-one knew. Everybody guessed that there were other lands, but nobody could verify or deny such claim. The last group who had tried was slaughtered before they even left land.

Oksir absentmindedly stood up and walked outside. It was a clear and sunny day, with a chilly breeze gently blowing. The grass and its flowers swayed softly, waving to him, but he disregarded them and sat down, observing the other spirits in the distance instead.

He, Aksa and Eksen were a peculiar bunch, even by Ilennian standards. Despite being siblings, born from the very same branch of the same Spirit Tree, they all had vastly different appearances. Oksir was tall and rather skinny, with short ears and big curious eyes which rarely missed even the finest details. He had a feline look to him, his arms and legs ending in soft paws. Interestingly, he had no claws, rendering them absolutely useless when climbing. Despite lacking prowess, he had a head for strategy and was a born leader, his siblings looking up to him as one.

A noise from behind startled him, and glancing around he saw Aksa coming up from the burrow, one eye still closed and yawning. This surprised him – he had expected Eksen to wake up first.

“Morning” he muttered, to which she simply nodded. Aksa was just as tall as Oksir, if not a smidge taller, and sported a long tail. Like most spirits, she had hooves, but her arms were covered in feathers (which, sadly, did not work as replacements for wings. She had tried. Many times.) While not visibly muscular, she was able to overpower her brothers, sometimes even both at the same time. She was bold and outgoing, craving risks and the adrenaline that came along with them.

She sat down beside Oksir, and they resumed watching the other Ilennians go on about their day together.

“We’re out of food,” he remarked, “ _...again._ Someone will have to go gather some more berries or something.”

“Oooh! I heard of place on the east side of the island.” Aksa said, her ears perking up. “Nobody ever goes there, so I’ll bet we can get the ripest ones!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” They turned around to see Eksen, no sign of sleepiness visible on his face, standing a little behind them with his arms crossed. “It’s deep in the forest. You know how dangerous it is. I was barely able to heal you last time.”

Eksen was unlike Oksir and Aksa. He was rather stout and self-reserved, but not inherently quiet. Unlike the two, he had a short tail and long ears which sometimes got in the way. Despite his rather clumsy and cumbersome appearance, he was able to keep pace with his siblings surprisingly well and was especially nimble in a fight. Being a realist, it was often him spoiling the others’ unreasonably dangerous plans and getting them out of trouble, whether it was hiding from a grumpy old spirit they nicked some food from or healing nasty bite wounds after a Corruption encounter. He also had a unique sense of humour which he liked to sprinkle into casual conversations when he was feeling like it.

“Aww, come on,” Aksa whined, “if we all go, we can handle a slug or two no problem. Plus, what else is there to do? Would you rather eat the spoiled ones from the bushes near the meadow? Let’s go, it’ll be fun!”

Eksen looked at Oksir, who shrugged, and resigned. “Fine,” he sighed, “but we steer clear of anything that moves. I don’t feel like having to treat another infection and then being knocked out for two days.”

“Yay!” She squealed, jumping up and racing inside. With another shrug, the two brothers followed her.

Back in the burrow, with Oksir’s eyes still re-adjusting to the lack of light, it was nearly pitch black. The spirits’ gentle blue-white glow just barely illuminated the residence, casting small shadows that danced vigorously on the cracked dirt walls.

He quickly found his bag and slung it over his shoulder. The others did likewise, Eksen slipping two healing plants into his. With a final scan of the burrow, Oksir grabbed the wooden dagger that hung above his nest, slung it around his neck and dashed to meet the others outside.

Ilenn was quite small. Walking at a swift pace, one could cross from one end to the other in just under half an hour. However, the forest, which covered a considerable part of the island, was dense and difficult, not to mention dangerous, to traverse. Briskly walking through it simply wasn’t possible. Fortunately, the meadow where the tribe lived was mostly flat and grassy, making morning jogs and evening walks safe and fairly common.

Soon, the trio found themselves standing in front of the thick treeline that bordered meadow and forest – safety and death. They had passed several spirits on their way here, all of whom regarded them with sour expressions. They knew what they were thinking. _Oh, you three again. Risking your lives recklessly, as usual. Your luck will run out eventually, you know. What a shame, so young… I just hope you don’t suffer much._

Now, Oksir stared at the dense vegetation towering in front of him and gulped. They had been in the forest countless times before, emerging with minor injuries at worst, but he always felt anxious when going in. Looking to his sides, he nodded to Aksa and Eksen. They nodded back, and almost in unison, the three adventurers stepped into the undergrowth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> List of first-timers achieved:  
> • Write a chapter 1  
> • Make an OC  
> • Try to describe something  
> • Write dialogue  
> • Write thoughts  
> 
> 
> _oh god it's so bad ;-;_
> 
> Um… how was it? Did you enjoy it? Was it paced correctly? Did it feel “bland” at any point? Were there any awkward or stretched sentences? Did I overuse any words? Does dialogue feel realistic? Are the paragraphs too long? Was it too short? Does the chapter leave you wanting more? Virtually any feedback is appreciated k pls thx


	2. Still

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What dangers does the forest hide? Perhaps it's time to find out.

Oksir shivered as he ducked under yet another giant spiderweb. The three adventurers were five minutes away from the Spirit Tree and the place was already crawling with a various assortment of massive, disgusting insects. He was not keen to repeat his last experience of walking into one of those webs – Eksen had to bat away the spider trying to eat him, hitting him in the face with a stick twice in the process. As if that hadn’t been bad enough, the sticky fibres had clung to his fur for a full day afterwards.

The air in the forest was heavy, as usual. Sunlight filtered in through the thick canopy, creating restless dapples of light that frolicked and morphed with each other as the wind blew above. Damp, dead leaves, each a unique shade of brown, covered the forest floor, rustling under their feet as they advanced. Here and there, spasmodic taps rang out as woodpeckers feasted on the abundance of parasites present among the looming trees. Bizarre and off-tune birdsongs echoed all around them, slowly grinding away at their senses.

  


The group of spirits stalked the ground slowly, ears erect and listening for any indication of something trying to creep up on them (or as Eksen called it, to “pull a sneaky”). So far, they had only come across a single giant slug Corruption, and to Aksa’s disappointment, left it alone, taking a wide detour around it.

Eksen, brandishing a long stick, lead the group. He had the most knowledge of the forest and while anyone one of them could find their way home on their own, it was him who knew the most about the diverse plant life that populated the dense woodland. Any spirit could tell the difference between a bramble bush and a berry shrub, but he also knew which ivy would poison you if you brushed up against it and which plant could be used to make an antidote.

Oksir was right behind him, covering the team’s flanks, his keen eyes quick to spot anything looking to ambush them from the rear. Meanwhile, Aksa kept her hooves above the ground, hopping from branch to branch above them and using the height advantage to see further up ahead.

  


Oksir had always envied the other two when it came to climbing. His sister was a natural, her body virtually sticking to any surface she wished to climb and even Eksen had limited success in scaling trees. Sadly, the feline spirit’s soft, clawless paws weren’t much better than having pillows tied to one’s hands and feet. He desperately wished to climb – he loved it when Aksa pulled him up into a tree, especially a tall one, and tried to make such moments last as long as he could.

  


“How close are we?” He asked, looking up in her direction.

“I don’t know.” She took a big leap between two distanced branches. “But we barely left the meadow ten minutes ago. If we head in this direction, we should be able to make a round trip before sundown.”

Oksir nodded blankly. He was starting to sense a lack of Light as they strayed further into the forest. Closer to the Tree, it was like being one with the elements – the grass swayed with him and he moved with the wind. It was a wonderful feeling and it filled him with energy.

Now, however, he felt alone and helpless, the air thick with oppression and the dagger he carried growing heavier, sinking into his furry chest.

  


It was a very simple weapon, crafted from a sawed-off bramble bush thorn inserted into a stick cut halfway length-wise and secured together with a length of tough vine. The blade was devilishly sharp to the point where even a light scrape would result in a deep cut, so Oksir kept it wrapped in a thick stretch of grass. He had also fastened another piece of vine to both ends of the handle, creating a sling by which it now hung around his neck. So far, the weapon hadn’t seen much use besides chopping fruits, but he always brought it along just in case.

  


Aksa landed on yet another branch and crouched low, squinting at something ahead. Without warning, she raised a clenched fist, their agreed signal to stop. Only Oksir noticed and tugged on Eksen’s shoulder, bringing the entire party to a halt.

Less than five Dashes ahead, the forest abruptly transformed into a precipice and then resumed a couple Dashes further, creating a deep gorge that cut across the spirits’ path. They approached it timidly and peeked over the edge into the dark void below. None of them could see the bottom.

An old, rotting tree stretched out over the chasm, gripping both sides as if trying to bring them together and close the gap. It looked almost like Zion or some other godly force had conveniently placed it there just for them, except that they arrived several years too late – the thing, heavily festooned with thick fungi and moss, looked ready to collapse.

“Well… this is new.”

“Do you reckon this thing can hold us?” Aksa inquired, hopping onto the log. It creaked and protested under her weight, but otherwise remained solid.

“Dunno,” Oksir said, giving it a light kick on the side. A sizeable chunk came off, revealing the inside was full of holes and swarming with bugs. He quickly retracted his foot. “...but I don’t think I want to find out for myself.”

Eksen probed the wood, shaking his head. “I don’t like it; it looks quite fragile. And trust me, you don’t want to fall down there. Your Edge won’t save you if you do.”

  


A blood-curdling shriek, originating from behind the trio, pierced the air, startling everyone. It sounded far off, but it put the spirits on edge anyways.

“W-what was that?” Aksa whimpered, a hint of panic in her voice. She knew that panicking, especially prematurely, was no good, but her time in the forest taught her to keep clear of anything big, and this clearly was.

“Oh, I bet it’s nothing.” Oksir waved a paw. “I mean, we hear these coming from the forest back home all the time, right? Whatever it is, it sounded quite far away and if it’s not going in our direction -” A second cry rang out, this time significantly closer. “- we’ll be OH COME ON.”

The situation shifted from “perhaps dangerous” to “oh no get outta here quick” faster than the surprise thunderstorms that usually dropped from nowhere. The others looked at Oksir expectantly, hoping that he had some sort of plan, for they might be needing one soon – whatever made that noise was travelling quickly and straight at them.

  


He scanned the area frantically. Running home meant running towards whatever _it_ was. There was nowhere to hide unless they could suddenly turn into moles or something. Could they climb a tree? Perhaps, but a thing capable of making such noise was most likely big enough to have no trouble knocking it down. They couldn’t possibly hope to fight it, so the only options that remained were…

Oksir cussed internally. “We’re going to have to cross.”

“Um… are you sure? I mean-”

“What else do you want to do? Try and reason with it? Or perhaps _fight_ it?” He snapped back at his sister, who was still standing on the trunk.

  


She looked around for a moment and had to admit that he was right. There was no other reasonable course of action, at least not one that she could see. The forest was filled with razor-sharp vines and running through it blindly was suicide. Despite having a Spirit Edge, Aksa wasn’t eager to fight something significantly bigger than her and knew that her brothers would be at a bigger risk if they did. Oksir had that little wooden knife of his and Eksen was carrying a big stick like it was nothing, but in hindsight those weapons were mere jokes when faced against anything quicker than a spine slug, leaving her two brothers virtually defenceless.

  


Oksir looked back in the direction where the screech had come from. He retrieved the dagger from around his neck and began to slowly unwrap the blade, carefully piling lengths of grass at his feet. Unconsciously, he perceived the rotten wood groaning as Aksa edged tentatively down the fallen tree, trying to disperse her weight as much as possible.

  


Several agonizing seconds of silence followed. A noisy insect flew past his ear. A lone leaf fell soundlessly.

  


He was starting to consider what to do should the log not hold them – they would have to flank the Corruption coming at them and hope it wasn’t smart enough to figure out which way they went. That would be a gamble, and he didn’t like gambles. Perhaps they could-

A damp _crack_ broke the silence.

Oksir whirled around, wide-eyed, only to see his sister suspended mid-air, a look of utter horror on her face and the wood beneath her hooves gone. Time froze still. She hung there for a few moments before gravity decided to start working again and her glowing form disappeared below the cliff’s rim as she fell into the abyss below.

“Aksa!” Oksir yelled, diving for her. Eksen caught him and threw him onto the ground just shy of the ledge. He pushed his way to it and extended a paw, hopelessly trying to reach something he knew he could not. “Noooo!”

  


She looked up at him with a slightly puzzled look on her face, her starry eyes staring as if trying to say sorry. There was nothing she could do except outstretch out a hand as well, knowing full well it was futile. She fell slowly, her lips moving but not emitting any sound, her glow becoming dimmer and dimmer until the darkness swallowed her whole.

He felt the strength leave his body. What just happened? No, Aksa didn’t fall. He must have imagined it. No. She couldn’t have.

  


A tear swelled up in the corner of his eye and then slowly rolled down his face, more tears following. Soon, two rivers flowed down his cheeks, collecting on his chin before dropping down onto the mouldy leaves below. Kneeling in front of the chasm that claimed his sibling, he sobbed uncontrollably, the realization of what just transpired gradually dawning on him.

Aksa was his dear sister and the most optimistic person he had ever met. They had spent every waking hour together, her wits and bold courage saving them countless times. She was part of their family, an irreplaceable component of their trinity and his sister. But now, she was gone. There was no thud, no splash, not even a final cry of pain – she was just… gone.

He knelt there bawling for some time. The world around him ceased to matter. He had one thought, and one thought only – he would never see his sister again. It was as if someone had stabbed him in the chest with a sword dabbed in poison. Hopelessness wholeheartedly embraced him.

  


Oksir felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Come.” Said Eksen’s voice. “She wouldn’t want us to die weeping over her.”

He nodded and stood up, messily wiping his face with his arm. “Yeah.” His voice cracked as he sniffled, blinking. Glancing at his brother, he saw that Eksen’s face was glistening – he had been crying as well.

A third howl, not far away this time, yanked the two boys back into harsh reality with a sudden jerk. They gave the dark chasm one last regretful look, but what they saw as they turned around knocked the wind out of them once again.

  


A young spirit lay on the dank ground a little way behind them, unconscious, her chest rising and falling peacefully. She was a tall gal, with an especially long tail. However, probably the most unusual feature about her were her arms – they were covered in glowing feathers.

“Aksa?” Oksir prompted the sleeping spirit, hardly believing his eyes. His gaze jumped from her to the ravine which she had just fallen into, and then back to her.

Eksen was already kneeling by her form, one ear to her chest. “She’s alive alright,” he declared, “but her Light is weak. We need to get her home quickly.” Sure enough, she glowed softer than the spirit standing above her.

  


Something snapped within Oksir. He was still processing the image of Aksa’s face as she disappeared into the black void and this discovery made his head hurt. However, he realized, everything could be sorted out later. Their priorities were much different at the moment.

“Let’s move.” He announced firmly, picking up his unconscious sister and slinging her over his shoulders. “To the left, before whatever it is catches us.”

  


The two moved quickly, Oksir’s feeble Dash making up for the extra weight he carried. Another screech resonated from close behind them, yet they kept on running, catching cuts and scratches like mosquito bites on a warm summer evening. An outcropped root cuffed him in the leg, causing him to curse and stumble, but he regained his footing and kept on going. The dagger, which hung around his neck again, swivelled dangerously, its uncovered edges flashing wickedly.

“We’re almost there!” Eksen yelled over the rush of wind in their ears. Being out of the thickest part of the forest, they now found themselves in a large clearing surrounded by a dense circle of trees. He could feel the Light flowing through the ground again – they were indeed close.

But before they could take another step, something large and heavy landed in front of them.

  


The impact reverberated through the ground and knocked the spirits clean off their feet. A giant mantis, easily three times their size, towered before them and roared, the horrible sound drilling into their skulls. Its two pairs of glowing, sickly yellow eyes glared at them with a cold hatred for their Light. The unproportional, growth-covered tail protruding from the end of its body twitched sporadically as it stood there menacingly for a moment, confused by three targets at once.

Choosing Eksen, who was the closest of the three, the mantis pounced. He leapt back just in time as the beast landed with tremendous force, sending shivers through the forest floor. Dodging one wild swipe of its front claws after another, Eksen was oddly at ease, looking a bit worried but otherwise relaxed, if not bored. So far, he hadn’t met a spirit with quicker reactions than his. At the same time, he had also never encountered any creature as fast as the one which now stood in front of him, and his legs were already moaning with exhaustion. He couldn’t keep it up for long.

Just as it looked like the beast was about to catch up, a small rock came hurtling and bounced harmlessly off of its side, grabbing its attention.

  


“Over here, ugly!” Oksir bellowed, chucking another stone at the monstrosity. He had put down Aksa behind a nearby bush and now stood in the open, knees slightly bent and the blade in his hand grinning slyly.

The mantis, hoping that this spirit was slower than his brother, sprang at him. However, by the time it reached the place where he stood, he was nowhere to be seen.

  


Oksir’s Talent was quite unusual and thanks to its nature, only few knew about it. He had discovered it quite by chance on a dull winter day a few years ago. It had been snowing heavily the night before and the temperatures outside were freezing, so the three siblings had been holed up underground for several days. They were extremely bored; their food store was well stocked, resulting in no motivation to go out and gather more food, and there were not elders to listen to or other young spirits to play with. Having exhausted their small supply of jokes and indoor games, they mostly lounged around in their nests.

He had been examining the still patch of daylight shined inside by the mirror-like snow, the stream of light made visible thanks to the many fine particles floating around the burrow. Imagining the rays as individual strings, he pretended to pluck them, humming an old melody elderly spirits liked to sing.

He had eventually gotten bored of that as well, but the idea of light being something tangible still amused him. He reached out his hand, trying to slot it between the invisible threads. To his surprise, he felt something flow around his paw and discovered with a yelp that his hand was gone. He quickly retracted his arm, and to his relief, saw that it was still whole.

He had practiced slipping in-between the strands of light many times since. Hiding his whole body was quite energy-consuming, but invisibility was a really useful ability to have nevertheless. The severe headaches that came afterwards were totally worth all the food they had managed to nick off of other spirits’ picnic tables.

Now, when Oksir side-dived the incoming mantis, he found himself in a pitch-black realm where not even his Light shone. He could still feel the damp leaves beneath his paws and hear the murderous growls of the beast beside him, but he couldn't see it and it couldn't see him. Feeling around for another rock, he found one and let it fly in the direction of the growling.

  


Another stone came whistling out of nowhere, missing by a fair distance. The mantis snapped at its source, but only met air, letting out a frustrated _hiss._ Invisible prey was something new.

The sound of light feet on wet leaves skittered across the clearing and the Corruption tracked it with its gaze. Without hesitation, it leapt, missing Oksir by barely a whisker. He had not expected it to be this fast. It swung out rapidly in all directions, lashing at anything that moved.

Blindly dodging the monster’s frenzied attacks, he slowly began to panic. It was too fast for him. He took small peeks out of the blackness that surrounded him, but never saw an opening that would let him get close enough to make a definitive stab.

Every second, the mantis got closer to landing a hit. Not a moment too late, a strike whipped him across the chest and he went flying, losing concentration and slipping out of the dark dimension in which he was hiding.

  


Landing with a painful thud, Oksir recollected his senses and found that he was still clutching his dagger. His side hurt like a burning knife and this head throbbed, but nothing felt broken. He felt his muscles scream as he tried to sit up, falling back down to the forest floor in resignation.

Then, he looked up.

Time slowed to a crawl for a second time that day as the mantis soared high through the air straight at him, claws outstretched and pure bloodthirsty intent in its eyes. It was no use. It could see him and he simply wasn’t fast or strong enough to move. Reflexively raising his arms to cover his face and closing his eyes, he accepted his inevitable fate.

Impact came accompanied by a sickly _shuc_ k as claw entered flesh.

  


Oksir lay motionless, his eyes screwed shut. Something wet and warm trickled down his arm.

This was it. He was dead.

He was going to be a tree. His siblings were going to be trees as well.

And nobody would mourn for them.

Curious about the high quantity of thoughts he was still forming, he opened one eye.

  


He was sprawled on his back, the mantis suspended in a striking pose above him, a crude wooden dagger protruding from its chest. A single drop of hot maroon blood had escaped the wound and rolled along the edge of the weapon, continuing its passage down the spirit’s furry hand.

Nothing moved for what seemed like an eternity. He lay there, gripping the blade with shaking hands, too scared to do anything. His breath came out rattled and his heart was beating crazily.

  


He heard it breathe. He felt its uneven heartbeat as it tried to move. He sensed the pain that emanated from the Corruption above him. More blood seeped out of the puncture, starting to concentrate on the dagger’s hilt.

He looked to his left where his brother stood. Eksen, poised to strike with a stick raised above his head, shared Oksir’s wide-eyed expression of stunned bewilderment. A single, brilliant red drop ran down his cheek from the many cuts he had collected.

  


The sticky red-brown substance now oozed steadily from the mantis’ wound, coating the entire dagger and starting to drip onto Oksir’s chest. It came down in great slimy globs, splattering on his glowing fur and stinging sharply as it flowed over his side. It burned, yet he willed himself to endure it and not move.

How long they stood like this, none of them knew. However, after a while, he became aware of the growing weight pushing onto his paws. He listened and realized that he could no longer hear it breathe anymore.

  


With a painful heave, he shoved the great body off of him and it fell to the side with a heavy thump. Slowly getting up, he beheld the still-warm corpse, the blazing hatred behind its eyes extinguished.

The two brothers looked at each other in silence – they were both at an utter loss of words. Neither of them could believe what had just happened.

  


With the adrenaline running thin, Oksir suddenly felt all the damage his body had sustained. His head was threatening to explode, and his side stung worse than ever. Examining it, he saw a large gash, the Corruption’s blood mixing with his.

Eksen, having applied the two healing plants he had brought along, tried to heal it with his Light. However, he still had difficulties with the Regenerate ability and being exhausted didn’t help. The meek healing substance he managed to conjure up much had little effect besides easing the pain a bit.

  


Accepting that anything further would have to be done at the Spirit Tree, the two spirits recovered the still-sleeping Aksa and resumed their journey home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> List of first-timers achieved:  
> • Write a continuation of something  
> • Write more than 2000 words (look at me feeling accomplished :P)  
> • Get an excuse to use the phrase “pull a sneaky”  
> • yeet a spirit down into the eternal void  
> • Try to do emotions  
> • Stone a mantis  
> • Realize I don't know how to write properly
> 
> pls feedback k thx
> 
> I’m particularly interested about the way I split text into paragraphs. Should I split it even more? Once again, am I overusing certain words or sentence structures? What are my strengths? Weaknesses? Did you like, “feel” anything (suspense, sadness, etc.)? Does it read smoothly overall? Is it too Oksir-focused? Where can I improve? It's too cringey, isn't it?


	3. Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How come Ilenn’s Spirit Tree can’t simply _yeet_ all the monsters from such a small island? I mean, Nibel's Tree could, so why not Ilenn's?

Falling. That was all she remembered. She did not know why or where she was falling, but she was fully aware of the air whistling in her ears and the pull of gravity yanking at her body. What she had outstretched her hand for she did not know, but she knew that it was important to her and that she was falling away from it.

Aksa awoke with a start, panting. What happened? Where was she? Were they still in the forest? They were running from something, but…

She looked around frantically, her crazy pulse slowing down. No, she was neither falling nor in the forest. Instead, she was sitting in her bed, back in the burrow. She was also aware of the fact that her head hurt. Wait, scratch that. Her everything hurt.

She cast her gaze around again. The dying evening sun shone in through the burrow’s window, bathing the small room in a warm orange aura. The rickety wooden door stood open, granting Aksa a view of the outdoors and allowing more sunlight to pour into the dwelling. A warm breeze blew outside, rustling the grass and soothing her.

Oksir slept uneasily in his nest beside her; his breathing was uneven and his tail twitched erratically. _Must be having a nightmare too_ , she thought, holding his hand. It helped just a little.

Looking closely, she saw that his fur was dirty and stuck together in places as if having been submerged in something sticky and then washed haphazardly. It smelled foul too, a nasty odour that she recognized from their ventures deeper into the forest.

At that moment, Eksen entered through the door, carrying a small handful of those healing plants that he liked so much.

“Oh hey. You’re awake.” He remarked, setting the plants down beside Oksir and starting to peel one. With the thick covering off, he gave it a tight squeeze and a thick, clear liquid oozed out. He then dabbed it onto his brother’s side, the sleeping spirit easing up upon contact with the cool substance.

After he had used approximately half of the plants and put the rest away, Aksa turned to him.

“What happened?”

He looked a bit confused for a moment before realizing what she meant.

“Oh. Well, we were crossing the gorge, but the bridge broke and you… fell.”

Aksa shuddered as she closed her eyes and remembered the falling sensation. Yes, it was all slowly coming back to her. The shriek! And the rotten tree! But if it snapped…

“Wait… how am I still here?”

“That’s the weird thing. We don’t really know. After you fell, you sort of just reappeared on the ground behind us, unconscious. We picked you up and ran.”

“And then?” She gestured at her brother’s sleeping form.

“So, we were running blindly, and suddenly this like, huge mantis jumped out at us! It was huge, you should have seen it. And quick too. Anyways, Oksir somehow managed to stab it with his dagger, although he got banged up pretty bad himself. We barely made it back to the meadow and I've been running around since. Turns out Corruptions’ blood is mildly poisonous and he’s been out since we returned.”

“But he’s gonna be okay, right?” She asked, the anxiousness in her voice stronger than she had intended.

“Oh, of course. Father managed to patch him up pretty well, and I was just fixing up the smaller scratches. I expect he’ll be sleeping for a bit longer though.”

Aksa got up and stretched. She was sore all over, and while the headache was starting to wear off, she was still a bit shaken.

Walking outside, she lay down onto the grass atop the small hill into which their home was dug. The ground was a bit cold, but not enough to be uncomfortable. The wind, barely a gust by now, was slowly losing its warmth too.

Aksa surveyed the scenery. Reduced to a big circular blob, the blood-red sun was starting to dip into the horizon. It dyed the sky a whole palette of oranges and yellows, with pinks sneaking in around the edges. The mist that rose from the surrounding forest was transformed into golden glitter and sparkled as it drifted lazily, creating glimmery clouds above the trees. A pair of great birds flew by, honking loudly. It was beautiful, even for a cursed place like Ilenn.

She lay there for a while, not wanting the moment to end. Her tranquillity, however, did not last long as sounds of an argument invaded her quiet space.

“…feeling fine! Gosh, no need to baby me.”

“No! You barely had any rest, and I’m not even sure if everything’s healed properly yet. Hey! Come back here!”

Looking up, she saw Oksir emerging from the burrow. Battered and weary, but alive and animate, with a small smile on his face. Their eyes locked for a few wordless seconds, after which he ambled over and sat down beside her. They watched the sunset together for several moments, unspeaking, savouring each others’ presence.

The reticence that hung between them, however, got heavier and heavier every passing minute until it was almost unbearable. Oksir decided to break it. “How are you feeling?”

“Oh, I’m fine. A bit tired, but otherwise fine.” She looked up at him and saw that his eyes were shiny. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” he sighed. “It’s just… I-I thought that we lost you back there, and-”

Aksa pulled him into a tight hug, which he gladly returned. “Well, I’m here.” She soothed, letting him lean on her shoulder.

“I know. Thanks.”

“I was worried too you know, just now. Heard you fought a mantis! Wish I could have seen it.”

He chuckled. “Heh. Yeah… that was just dumb luck though.”

“Oh come on, give yourself some credit.” She punched him playfully in the shoulder. “Pretty much anyone else in that situation would be dead right now.”

He had no reply to that, and the silence resumed.

Suddenly, Oksir sniffed and grimaced. “Ugh, what’s that smell?” He sniffed again, looked down at himself and ran a hand through his grubby fur.

“Eww, I better go wash off.” He said, getting up. “See ya around.”

Aksa watched him go until his glow disappeared beyond a hill. The sun was starting to set quickly now, its progress easily trackable by eye. Soon, the entire landscape was submerged into darkness. The haze that hung above the woods turned from gold to silver, and the Ocean, a mere slimmer of water visible above the treetops, was lit ablaze by white flames as the moon took its place in the night sky. Millions of stars sparkled into existence and then shone sorrowfully above as the whole island fell silent.

She lay there some more, gazing at the starry expanse overhead and thinking about Ilenn. It was her home and always would be, but truth be told, it was quite miserable. It had been some time since she had a proper meal and she was longing for something meaningful and exciting (and hopefully not life-threatening) to happen. All the other spirits were downcast all the time and the island felt more like a prison than a home. Probably the saddest reality was that nobody could do anything about it.

_Hmm. Perhaps I should go see Father._ She thought, looking towards the Spirit Tree. It glowed humbly in the distance, the only source of life on the island.

That thought soon evolved into a temptation, and then into an invisible string nagging gently yet persistently at her mind. She stood up, but before she could set off, Eksen emerged from the burrow with a question.

“Hey, I was thinking… Do you wanna go to see Father?”

At this, she stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah… I was just thinking that too.”

The two started walking off into the distance. Said walk slowly turned into a jog, then a light run and soon, they were sprinting at full speed.

The meadow wasn’t too big and it took them almost no time at all to reach their target. They skidded to a halt in front of the grand tree, and to their surprise, found Oksir standing there as well.

All a little bit confused, they glanced at each other and then sat down, redirecting their gaze to the twisted form of wood that towered above them.

The Spirit Tree, one of the tallest trees on Ilenn, stood roughly twenty spirits tall. Its trunk and branches grew wildly and unmethodically, creating odd bends and twists, sometimes looping back into itself as if it could not decide in which direction to grow. Despite its bizarre appearance, it radiated with warm Light and being in its presence was strangely calming and pleasant.

Aksa heard Oksir shiver. His fur, while much cleaner now, was soaking wet. The stream that flowed near the meadow was usually ice-cold and the wind, no longer warm, had decided to pick up again. She and Eksen shuffled towards Oksir and the three spirits leaned against each other, creating a glowing ball of white fur which stared with three pairs of curious, innocent black eyes.

“Hello, my children…” The Tree spoke in a strained, yet powerful voice. They had never heard their Father speak before, but had seen older spirits talking with Him. The depth of His voice took them all off-guard.

“You are probably wondering why I called you here.” He continued.

_Called us? But we came here on our own… didn’t we?_ Aksa thought.

“Yes, I called you three here. I believe it is time I told you a story.

“There was once a small island, home to a small spirit tribe. While the island itself was tiny, it was a paradise. The grass was lush, the forests alive and the soft sandy beaches radiant. The fruits were plentiful and delicious and the waters crystal-clear. In the center of the island stood a mighty Spirit Tree, banishing all the terrors of Decay from the land.”

_Decay?_ She thought, but the Tree did not stop to explain.

“The spirits living there were happy and lively. They explored every rock and crevice on the island, and when that wasn’t enough, decided to see the rest of the world. They built boats, and the young and strong sailed out into the unknown. They discovered a great many other lands populated by tens of different spirit tribes, each one more diverse than the last. Years later, they returned from their travels, full of amazing tales and adventures. The next generation, inspired by the countless exploits of their precessors, set out as well and so did the generation after that.

“Thus, a tradition was born; one that lasted several millennia. Spirits of the small tribe would venture out into the world, quickly establishing themselves as the bravest adventurers and toughest warriors around. Most of them would then come back to the island when they were starting to grow old, where they would live the rest of their lives in peace, retelling the tales of their adventures to the children. It was a truly golden age.

“But it didn’t last. One day, a certain spirit was born. He grew up to be a strong and clever boy, one of the best the tribe had seen. Unfortunately, this was around the time that the current Spirit Tree was beginning to age; its time had come and gone. It chose him, alongside a couple of others, to go out into the world and return with the sacred gift of Light – he was chosen to answer a Calling; a great honour. And so, he set out.

“Several years passed, during which he travelled and visited many wondrous lands, gathering Light and sparking Wisps as he went. It was a fine life, filled with adventure and excitement. However, one day he was tracked down by a frantic spirit – a messenger from his tribe. The messenger begged him to come back home, that something terrible had happened, and then died at his feet. He quickly made his way home, but the journey still took days.

“Nobody knows why or how exactly it happened. They say that one of Decay’s agents passed over the island. Some will swear that it was the Champion herself, but no one knows for sure. In any case, when he arrived, he found the island in ashes. The great Spirit Tree, the protector of the land, was reduced to a shattered stump. The air was thick with smoke and the ground stained with the blood of hundreds of his kin. The forest was ablaze and the populace was being slaughtered by unimaginable abominations of the Decay.

“He fought down to his last breath, but there were simply too many of them. Every minute, more of his brothers and sisters fell to the hungry jaws of Decay’s children, and it seemed like the bloodshed would never end. In his last stand, he and the remains of his tribe were surrounded in the middle of the island's meadow, on the very spot where the old tree used to stand. It was there that he placed his life into destiny’s hands and embraced his single Wisp.

“He should have failed; it is not possible, not with a mere Wisp – only a whole divine Light is strong enough. He should have been reduced to bones and ashes like the rest of his tribe. Yet somehow… he did it. By some sheer miracle, he managed to ascend and keep the Decay at bay. It was a sin; it birthed a twisted and unholy creation, unworthy to even be called a Spirit Tree, but he did it.

“While not utterly destroyed, the tribe fell on very hard times. Paradise turned into a nightmare; the soil became poisoned and the waters themselves turned vicious. Life became a constant struggle for survival. Food and clean water became sparse, and it felt like every night one of theirs disappeared, only to be found mutilated somewhere not too far off the next morning.

“Despite all odds, we managed to survive for over two centuries. Yes. That spirit was me, and that small island was Ilenn. This place really was a beautiful paradise, long ago. And yes, there are, in fact, other lands.

“But you must be wondering why I’m telling you this. I’m growing frail. I believe you can sense it too.”

That was true. Aksa had heard the adults discussing that the current situation, whatever it was, was deteriorating and recently, two spirits were born but died on the spot, creating small, mangled and Lightless Ancestral Trees. She knew that something like that wasn’t normal.

“My children, I believe you three are our only hope. Everyone else on this island is either too old, too young or too afraid. Nobody here but you has the courage and resolve to succeed. Go out into the world and save this tribe. I understand the magnitude of this request, but if you can’t save us, nobody can.

“I think it would be best for you to go home and think everything over. Save your questions for tomorrow, when you are well-rested. Unfortunately, I have to get busy now as well. Good night, and good luck.”

And with that, the tree stopped talking.

Aksa blinked. Wow. That was… a lot of information. Nobody said anything for the longest while and slowly, the group made their way towards the burrow.

Back inside, Aksa couldn’t sleep. Her head was buzzing with a million unanswered questions. To believe that Ilenn, the small pathetic island of suffering was once a lush haven was one thing, but to be asked to venture out into the unknown and save the whole tribe was something totally different.

She sighed. Father was right about one thing for sure – it was no use thinking about it now, alone. There was an old Ilennian saying – “Dinner is better in the morning” – and frankly, it was true. One does tend to think much better after a good night’s rest.

That was the last thought she remembered before finally drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> List of first-timers achieved:  
> • Write landscape descriptions  
> • Write dialogue without dialogue tags  
> • Make a Spirit Tree talk  
> • Attempt a bit of fluff  
> • Find out that I miss the second “t” in “thought” quite often  
> • Mess up a proverb
> 
> Alright, I _think_ I’m getting a bit better. Still, I feel like my transitions are a bit sudden and descriptions aren’t vivid enough. Again, any critical feedback helps a ton, _even if it’s nitpicking;_ I’m a perfectionist, I want to hear it! Am I overusing one-liners? Are my paragraphs too short now? Was there a sentence that you had to reread? Any dialogue or description that struck you as awkward? Please do tell me, even if it’s the smallest thing.
> 
> Also, how the heck did I go from “The morning is smarter than the evening” to “Dinner is better in the morning”??


	4. ANNOUNCEMENT

Here I am, writing words I thought I would never have to write.

When I started writing this story, I made a vow to myself to finish it, no matter how long it would take. I've been heartbroken too many times by a good story which just… stops.

I've been working on Chapter 4 ever since I published Chapter 3. But then school got in the way, then summer vacation and finally a fresh wave of depression (I'm alright now) stagnated my progress. By that time I've written a fair amount, and decided to split it up into two chapters. However, as I sat down to start edits and all, I read it and realized “wow this **sucks** ”. My motivation to finish it has been extremely low since then.

I want to say thanks and sorry to everyone who read this story. Thanks for reading and sorry for not writing much, and especially sorry for taking such a long time to even post this announcement.

So… what happens now? Is it all over? Well, not entirely. I made a vow to myself, something I don't take lightly. So yes, I will finish this. Will it take forever? Most likely. Hopefully, I'll be a better writer by that time too. In the meantime, I'll dedicate my time to the 7FF project and possibly a series of Ori one-shots, so that'll be interesting.

And… that's pretty much everything I have to say. Once again, thanks and sorry.

I've also made a few fixes to chapters 2 and 3, but nothing major.


End file.
